Harvey, Author at Sandyx

Salesforce implementations: DIY or use a Partner?

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Do you want a custom-built or off-the-shelf solution?

There are more UK-based Salesforce partners around than you’ll have ever guessed.

Salesforce is a highly sought after CRM platform and as it continues to grow in capabilities, more businesses are finding themselves needing help with getting started.

Given that it’s one of the biggest investments you’ll likely ever make for your business, it’s understandable that you want to implement it right.

The risks of implementing Salesforce without professional help

According to McKinsey, the average large-scale IT project runs 45% over budget costs, 7% over time and yet still delivers 56% less value than expected. We understand that self implementations appear cheaper on the surface and you’d expect to have a greater sense of control, however, going off experience and evidence, there are more significant issues that can arise when you DIY. Read on to learn why this is the case.

Did you know that the average large-scale IT project runs...

Time is money - and money is time

One of the biggest things you risk wasting in your efforts to self-implement is time.

Even if you currently employ a Salesforce expert and rely on them to manage the implementation, this isn’t to say that they know how to navigate all the potential issues. What if they spend hours on the project just to realise later they’re not properly equipped, leaving you with no choice but to appoint a partner, who might then charge even more to untangle the mistakes already made. This would also be a huge drain on your employee’s working time, given that their other responsibilities will be cast aside.

Limited support could become an issue

Unless you already have a large Salesforce support team, relying on one or two employees to direct everyone else around Salesforce carries the risk of you being left perplexed without them. Implementation partners on the other hand can guarantee you constant trustworthy support, which becomes invaluable in the time of a technological crisis.

Our tips for a successful Salesforce implementation

1. Know exactly what you want out of the solution in advance

If you’ve got a plan in place identifying why your business needs a CRM system, this part should be obvious.

2. Engage an implementation partner, like Sandyx, as early in the process as possible

We can bring our experience to bear and help identify elements of the process you may not have considered and guide you along the way.

3. Train users and encourage adoption across the company

Before allowing the new software to go live, you must ensure your staff are appropriately trained – otherwise you’re left with beautiful software and a team who’re completely alien to it. At Sandyx, we offer training to all the necessary staff to help familiarise them with Salesforce as best as we can.

4. Test the solution and review your project weekly

If you’ve spent heaps of money on new software, naturally you’ll want to see it in action as soon as possible – but this involves rigorous testing first. Communication is one of our priorities at Sandyx – we believe the best implementations involve a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with our clients.

The benefits of an implementation partner

Implementation partners know Salesforce inside and out – and they can identify how it will open up new opportunities for your business. This kind of expertise will ensure you see the greatest return on your investment for years, making every penny you spent on the implementation worthwhile.

We have seen this first-hand, especially in the project work we completed for Hermes which we believe helped to drive them forward in terms of innovation and organisation.

A Salesforce partner will have invaluable knowledge that not only assures you a smooth implementation from the go-live date, but it will also encourage best practises amongst staff whilst they get familiar with the new software.

Finding the right Salesforce partner

Whenever a client approaches us with an implementation project, we hold a lengthy consultation with them to pinpoint precisely what they are looking to achieve.

Sometimes this means implementing Salesforce orgs exactly as they are, sometimes this means customising orgs to the point where they hardly resemble Salesforce – it all depends on the client and their goals.

If you have any questions whatsoever about your existing CRM system or Salesforce org, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

CRM in the healthcare Sector

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Think CRM methodology is only applicable to large companies and sales teams? Think again.

CRM favoured by industries everywhere

It’s no secret that CRM systems can radically transform the way businesses operate, but they don’t just revolve around sales and marketing functions – nor do they have to be used by companies with a strong B2C focus.

From banks and building societies to utility firms and absolutely everything in-between, CRM has a use in every sector.

The growing prevalence of CRM systems in healthcare

CRM refers to Customer Relationship Management, an effective approach used by businesses to nurture long-lasting and consistent relationships with their clients. Often this means using a Cloud-based CRM system.

CRM systems are also used by medical professionals who want an extensive and accurate record of their patients, as data is pulled in from various sources and merged together to create one Cloud based 360-view of a customer.

The NHS looks to new technology

Pressure on the NHS is greater than ever before and time and resources are being spread far too thin, causing the healthcare sector to be particularly observant of new tech developments to help them work in a more unified way.

Innovative technology is helping make the healthcare sector more advanced by the second as the demand for a quick, accurate and well-organised service grows. This is what patients want too – Salesforce reported that 70% of patients would rather receive flexible virtual care instead of going to a practice.

Improving the standard of IT in the NHS

Do you remember the chaos caused by the WannaCry attack in 2017?

Hackers exploited the outdated version of Windows installed across the NHS, it comes as no surprise that they’re looking to bolster every aspect of their digital presence and implement more modern and secure practices.

How are CRM systems used in healthcare?

Whether it’s the ability to schedule appointments from a mobile or track patient/doctor interactions, healthcare CRM systems can streamline and automate a lot of processes. Salesforce in particular now offer a range of solutions designed to improve the experience of patients and give them the tailored healthcare service we have all come to expect. The digitalisation of medical records has led to a significantly faster process with less error-making, as well as personalised marketing efforts to engage a wider audience – including potential patients who otherwise wouldn’t have known where to look for help. Less common but equally important uses of healthcare CRM include the ability to remind patients to take their medication daily, organisation-wide access to medical device data in real-time and predictive analytic tools. Sandyx carried out some work for Insight Healthcare, a not-for-profit mental health organisation, which involved developing a bespoke appointment management system through the Salesforce platform.

Signs that your medical practice has a CRM system

It’s probable that your GP practice uses a CRM system, where data belonging to you and many other patients is safely stored, but how would you ever know?

If you answered yes to the above, then you’re a part of amass of data stored in a CRM system used by the surgery.

What is the Salesforce Health Cloud?

The Health Cloud was launched by Salesforce in 2015, with its main purpose being to combine EMRs (electronic medical records) with a one-on-one patient management system. Recently, the Health Cloud underwent adaptation to be able to incorporate data from insurance companies, creating a full 360 degree view of patients to better understand the help they require. Masses of data from medical devices, such as pacemakers and infusion pumps, will be connected to the Health Cloud so that professionals can accurately monitor the condition of their patients.

In 2016, the full value of CRM in the healthcare industry was reported to total around £5 billion, with predictions that this figure will soar to £13 billion by 2025.

Contact Sandyx for more information

If you have any questions whatsoever about your existing CRM system or Salesforce org, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

The Salesforce Summer ’19 Release

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It’s nearly that time of the year again.

Articles, videos and infographics are suddenly appearing everywhere across the internet as people prepare for the Salesforce Summer 2019 release – including ourselves. Read on to learn exactly what has changed across the Salesforce platform and how it compares to the Spring 19 release.

Support for the rollout of Lightning

Given the success of the Lightning rollout so far, it’s hardly surprising that lots of new features have been added to make the transition easier and encourage users away from Classic. A significant amount of features were also created solely to improve the Lightning experience. Besides, Lightning is being switched on permanently for all orgs in October this year – so preparation really is key!

Do all features now work on Lightning?

Compared to the Spring 19 release, the difference in compatibility updates is significant.

In the Summer release, the only section not fully compatible with Lightning is the Org Setup. The Purge button and the management of deleted custom fields is still only available in Salesforce Classic, but Salesforce has clearly worked hard to improve Lightning compatibility since the Spring release, which you can read about here.

Meet the Lightning Experience Transition Assistant

The Lightning Experience Transition Assistant will be replacing the Lightning Experience Migration Assistant.

Despite having confusingly similar names, the Transition Assistant will actually be more practical for Lightning newbies as it’s split into three different phases; a Discover phase, a Roll-out phase and an Optimise phase. Each phase is accompanied by step-by-step instructions, tools and a progress bar so you can see how many recommended activities are left to complete for each section.

You can even add your own prompts and (without needing to use code) create in-app guidance to help your team learn how Lightning works, accompanied by specifications like time, audience and more.

The new Health Cloud features

The Health Cloud is still a relatively new addition to Salesforce, however it has still received its fair share of updates. By embedding the Lightning Scheduler into a website or app, you can empower patients with the ability to self-book appointments and review schedules – which you also have a 360-degree view of. You can also now manage the relationships of all your providers from one directory, making it easier for users to find the right professional depending on insurance, credentials and areas of specialism. This was made possible by Salesforce including a new industry-specific data model which unifies all the necessary information.

Changes to the Marketing Cloud

Thanks to the Summer release, Salesforce Survey licenses are now a thing of the past. Instead, surveys are completely free to send out and will only incur a cost if you get more than 300 responses. When you open an email template in Sales Console, you will now be able to view the entire email full-screen. This improvement was urgently needed as previously, information was being cut off. Other features of Email Studio, Content Builder and Marketing Cloud Connect have all also undergone some enhancements, which you can read about in more depth on the Salesforce website.

Is anything being removed?

Not all features got an update – some were given an expiration date. By the Summer ‘20 update, Customisable Forecasting and the original Territory Management will be retired, which could become an issue for sales teams that have used them for years. Users are being encouraged to migrate over to Enterprise Territory Management and Collaborative Forecasts as soon as possible. See how this year’s summer release differs to the 2018 Salesforce Summer release – and see how far Salesforce has changed in just 12 months time.

Contact Sandyx for more information

If you have any questions whatsoever about your existing CRM system or Salesforce org, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

Celebrating 150 years of Sainsbury’s

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Congratulations to Sainsbury’s for having a positive impact on society for 150 years.

A brief history of Sainsbury's

Opening their first ever Drury Lane store in 1869 and stocking it with nothing but eggs, butter and milk, Sainsbury’s has achieved a lot since then.

Not only are they now the UK’s second biggest supermarket chain owning a total of 1,423 stores nationwide, they are a brand that cares about their customers, their employees and the environment. Sainsbury’s has been one of our top clients for the past couple of years and we are incredibly proud to think that the project work we do for them continues to support their growth.

We have created an infographic honouring the success of Sainsbury's over the years which can be viewed here

Sainsbury's celebration of 150 years

On Wednesday 22nd May, Sainsbury’s revealed that Her Majesty the Queen was a visitor in their temporary 1860’s style pop-up store, which was set up on Drury Lane – just a stone’s throw away from the original site of their very first shop. Aside from a nostalgic trip down memory lane coupled with a regal visit, Sainsbury’s also offered customers extra Nectar points over the late May bank holiday weekend. Motorists were also treated to a reduction in fuel prices across Sainsbury’s petrol stations. A big factor of Sainsbury’s success is due to their customers and this has clearly been acknowledged in their anniversary celebrations.

What did our project work for Sainsbury's entail?

When we first got in touch with Sainsbury’s, they were looking for assistance with their property portfolio management system. Given the abundance of stores they have, it’s hardly surprising that they wanted this system to be highly functional and efficient.

Sainsbury’s chose to partner with Sandyx because they were impressed with our hands on approach to the project and our goal of delivering a system that requires less external support, consequently freeing up time for their technical team.

The system they were using was based on the Salesforce platform, however it had been altered by numerous third party developers over the years. Sainsbury’s were looking to add further functionality and integration with a documentation system being developed in parallel, whilst cleaning up and simplifying existing processes.

The end result - a flexible and foolproof solution for Sainsbury's

By the end of the main project, Sainsbury’s had a refined system capable of future adaptation if necessary, without disrupting any functionality. The technical team at Sainsbury’s were delighted with our solution and further projects have been undertaken and are ongoing, to add additional enhancements and integrations.

If you have any questions whatsoever about your existing CRM system or Salesforce org, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

Exhibiting at the Tech Show North 2019

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Sandyx were very grateful to have secured a stand at the Tech Show North 2019, one of the most prolific business exhibitions taking part in the North West.

What was the purpose of the Tech Show North?

The Tech Show North 2019 was the biggest gathering of technology companies, suppliers and vendors outside of London to occur this year.

Visitors were free to explore the very best talent and innovation in the UK technology scene, watch demos of products and services and even consult one-on-one with exhibitors to arrange work.

Exploring the exhibitors - and getting stand envy

Given the nature of the Tech Show North, we anticipated some incredible and forward-thinking displays showing off the very best in technology – and we weren’t wrong.

Upon arriving, we saw an array of inventions, demos, light boxes and competitions being set up everywhere – including VR headsets, a branded buzz wire game and a 3D printer whirring away to produce figurines.

One stand featured a display which gave a whole new meaning to interaction – this incredible MediaCity mosaic photograph by Arm, a globally-established IoT provider and architecture designer.

Centre stage of the event hall features two lustrous Tesla vehicles, which naturally captured plenty of attention – especially when their sound systems and rising doors were turned on for a demonstration! Being an outstanding leader in automotive innovation, it’s hardly surprising Tesla snagged a spot at the Tech Show.

Promoting our services to a wide variety of visitors

From digital agencies and fin-tech developers, to University research institutions and recruitment app designers, there was a stand representing something for absolutely everyone.

Being a Salesforce CRM provider ourselves, the visitors to our stand were primarily Salesforce rookies or users who hadn’t yet discovered the full power of the platform. Others recognised the word ‘Salesforce’ on our signage and simply wanted to know more on what it is, especially if it was being used in their workplace and they wanted to sharpen their knowledge.

Our head of sales, Stuart Greig, kept the demos flowing on his laptop for people to watch and before we knew it, we had collected a whole jar of business cards and filled-in enquiry forms.

Our summary of the Tech Show North 2019

CRM is an incredibly broad and important concept not only to us, but to any organisation that deals with customers.

The fact that we were one of the only CRM providers at the Tech Show North gave us a whopping advantage and we are delighted that we’re able to provide some of the attendees with a perfect CRM solution – who were equally delighted with our presence.

Overall, Sandyx thoroughly enjoyed the Tech Show North and met some wonderful people with bright ideas, concepts and questions over the two days and we look forward to working with them in the near future and attending similar events. If you have any questions whatsoever about your existing CRM system or Salesforce org, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

The Camping and Caravanning Club – from dated to dynamic software

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The Camping and Caravanning Club is the world’s leading and longest-standing camping club.

Since opening in 1901, the Club has taken ownership of more than 100 campsites in scenic locations and even recently started offering trips abroad – something that sets them apart from competitors.

Did you know…

That as of 2019, The Camping and Caravanning Club has…

No system changes for over thirty years

The Camping and Caravanning Club chose to partner with Sandyx to migrate their AS/400 based Membership System to the Salesforce platform.

The Membership System manages all interactions with the Club’s 700,000 members, covering everything from the on-boarding of new members, processing subscription payments, managing account changes to simply answering queries. The system also provides detailed financial and management information reporting, making it a key component in the decision making process and a business critical software solution.

Revolutionising The Camping and Caravanning Club's Software

The Club’s AS/400 system worked for many years but it was becoming increasingly difficult to react quickly to changing business requirements. The original system had not been designed to support the number of members the Club was now attracting and various bottlenecks were heavily impacting their ability to service their members in the way they wanted. The decision was made to switch to a more responsive and scalable solution and Salesforce Service Cloud was selected.

What was the outcome?

The Salesforce solution is now able to support the growth expected in the membership base and the solution is flexible enough to react quickly to changing business priorities.

The Camping and Caravanning Club can now offer new services to its members and the campsites they manage.

Salesforce integrates seamlessly with the Club’s website, which is used to sign up new members and gives existing members the ability to book holidays or make purchases through their self-service account. In the coming months, the Club is looking to expand their Salesforce portfolio in order to manage other parts of the business, including marketing and data analytics.

Contact Sandyx for more information

Is your CRM software completely up to scratch? The chances are, we can make it better.

If you would like to discuss anything that was mentioned in this article, or understand how Salesforce can help your business, then please get in touch. You can also ring us on 0161 710 3250 directly.

You could be our next success story.

Are you ready to switch to Salesforce Lightning?

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Since unveiling the Lightning Experience in 2014, Salesforce has gradually made it more sophisticated.

Whilst a large amount of Salesforce users have transitioned over to Lightning without looking back, many are still yet to make the move from the Classic UI. Read on to hear why this is the case and how you can make the change-over as smooth as possible.

What is the Salesforce Lightning Experience?

The Lightning Experience is a new component-based UI for Salesforce.

It has been wholly optimised for mobile access and has a much cleaner, more modern appearance. Developers can enjoy an effortless drag-and-drop functionality when building Salesforce pages without the need for code and end-users can enjoy the intuitive design.

Reviewing your Salesforce org in depth

On the main homepage of your ‘Setup’ section in Salesforce Classic, you can find a tool that initiates a scan of your entire org to assess its readiness for Lightning. It’s crucial that you run this readiness check as a first step, as it maps out any issues you’re likely to encounter in your transition to Lightning, analysing all aspects, from your user profiles to Visualforce pages and everything in between.

Transitioning from Salesforce Classic to Lightning - the issues

Overall, the Lightning Experience has proven to be very popular with users – especially to those who are completely new to Salesforce.

Below are the collective star ratings given to the Lightning experience on the most popular software review sites.

Customisation Limits of Lightning

Long-standing Salesforce Classic users on the other hand are not finding the switch to be quite as easy, due to having spent a long time building custom features like VisualForce pages, integrating AppExchange apps and personalising code, long before Lightning was even in the pipeline.

Companies who use Salesforce have expressed difficulties in migrating their custom-made features over to the Lightning UI, which has resulted in users becoming exasperated with having to constantly switch between Classic and Lightning.

Missing Features

Custom JavaScript buttons are not yet available in Lightning, nor are several VisualForce components or AppExchange apps. A variety of specific report and Opportunity functions are also yet to be made compatible with Lightning.

If your company has been using Salesforce for a long time or Salesforce Classic is all your developers and IT team have ever used, your software or digital processes will rely on more bespoke features than you realise, meaning now would not be the best time for a Lightning migration.

It would be in the best interests of your company and Salesforce User team to wait until you are certain that switching over will not impact any part of your org or your users.

What does the Future hold for Salesforce Classic?

Whilst any Salesforce users who purchased their license after July 2018 will only be able to use the Lightning Experience, it doesn’t look like the support for Classic is being terminated anytime soon.

Far too many users have invested a large amount of time and money into building customised orgs for Salesforce to cut them off entirely. However, with updates constantly being made to Lightning, it’s only a matter of time before every original feature is live and you won’t have a reason to stick with Classic.

Get in touch with Sandyx

Whether you are currently using the Classic Experience and unsure how to go about the migration, a Lightning user who isn’t fully satisfied with the solution or even if you are a complete stranger to Salesforce, we can give dependable advice on your situation.

If you would like to discuss anything that was mentioned in this article, or understand how Salesforce can help your business, then please get in touch.

You can also ring us on 0161 710 3250 directly.

You could be our next success story.

Safer Internet Day 19: What it means in the corporate world

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Today, February 5th, is international Safer Internet Day.

This year, the event will be celebrating its tenth anniversary across 140 countries.

With more businesses, schools and individuals participating in the event than ever before, the UK Safer Internet Centre plan to make the 2019 theme of “together for a better internet” their most prevalent message yet. Notable participants from last year include Age UK, CBBC and Manchester City F.C.

What is the purpose of Safer Internet Day?

Just like every year, Safer Internet Day 2019 aspires to raise awareness and get people talking about ways to make the internet a safer and more trustworthy place. Although a lot of Safer Internet Day supporters are sharing tips about how to keep children safe online, we feel that the 2019 message is applicable to anyone who uses the internet daily or on a large scale. Even if you don’t work with children or young adults, 98% of UK businesses carry out some form of activities online, making Safer Internet Day 2019 a very relevant event you should participate in.

The robust protection offered by Salesforce

At Sandyx, we specialise in projects based on the Salesforce platform and work with Salesforce products on a daily basis, many of which involve a CRM system. The average CRM system alone holds masses of personal client data, which instantly justifies the need for robust security features. Salesforce incorporates various safety tools into each product and service that they offer, including a constantly-updating infrastructure and user security features like two-factor authentication and identity verification. Additional custom security features can also be implemented depending on your specific needs, which our consultants can assess in detail for you today.

Be sure to communicate with your employees

Although it may sound tedious, reiterating the significance of cyber security to your team is actually of paramount importance.

Every employee, regardless of their seniority, will handle some form of sensitive data and this instantly makes them a risk.

Seemingly innocent mistakes like reusing weak passwords, misplacing devices that store information and forgetting to delete ex employees off the system open your business up to infiltration. Reputational damage, hefty fines and even a lessened ability to operate are all potential outcomes of improper internet usage – and your employees need to understand this. Make it clear to everyone in your company that online security is a shared responsibility and unidentified behaviour, regardless of how it occurred, will be reported.

Enhance the digital functions of your business

Is your CRM software completely up to scratch? The chances are, we can make it better. If you would like to discuss anything that was mentioned in this article, or understand how Salesforce can help your business, then please get in touch. You can also ring us on 0161 710 3250 directly. You could be our next success story.

Major overhaul of Saint-Gobain Building Distribution’s UX

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Saint-Gobain Building Distribution is a multinational corporation made up of the biggest firms in the UK construction sector, including Jewson, Graham and Ceramic Tile Distributors.

What was the challenge?

Saint-Gobain required a solution that would support their business processes associated with the management of existing stores, as well as support future network expansions. Given the wide range of brands they work with and their rapid rate of growth, we knew the solution had to be flexible. Sandyx have crafted a bespoke implementation methodology tailored for Salesforce projects. After taking into account our client’s initial requirements, Sandyx created a solution prototype. This allowed Saint Gobain to see a representative system to confirm that it would suit their needs, whilst we got to work on some of the background development.

What was our solution for?

Sandyx, harnessing the power of the Salesforce Force.com platform, integrated Google Maps directly into the user interface, allowing users to search the database themselves.

This allowed them to add a variety of filters, such as location, to narrow down the results displayed on the map.

Each store or site in their system required a geotag so it could be visible on a map, accompanied by important details like brand status and ownership.

What was the outcome for Saint-Gobain?

Reviewing the prototype yielded some new ideas for change and some additional requirements. These amendments were addressed quickly and followed by an additional round of user testing. This allowed Saint-Gobain to ‘fine tune’ the user experience so that it accurately reflected their preferences.

The flexibility of our development methodology helped to deliver exactly what the client needed to build perfectly tailored property management strategies.

Contact Sandyx for more information

Is your CRM software completely up to scratch? The chances are, we can make it better.

You could be our next success story.